Start Anytime: Online Classes

All courses now available on demand. Work at your own pace on a password-protected website. Unlimited video access for a full year. Instructor guidance and feedback as often as you like.

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Drawing Children
8 Lessons – work at your own pace
$65 (enrollment limited)

Email studio@valwebb.com to sign up

It’s not too hard. I promise! This course is designed for EVERYONE. If you have always wanted to draw people — or if you would like to sharpen your skills — put your hesitation aside and join me.

In eight incremental lessons (each including video and 3-5 illustrated printable pdf pages) we will cover everything you need to accurately sketch children from infant to age 5. I will also provide a library of licensed reference photos, and also advise you if you want to work from photos of your children or grandchildren.

LESSON SEQUENCE (new lessons post every other week on a password-protected website):

• Lesson 1 – All About Eyes. Techniques for drawing lifelike eyes; drawing reflected light; how the eyes change at different ages; drawing closed and half-closed eyes.
• Lesson 2 – Mouth and Nose. Baby mouth and button nose; changes at different ages; drawing front and side views of noses; shading the lips; drawing open mouth; drawing teeth.
• Lesson 3 – Hair and Ears. How to draw shiny, curly, long, short, boys’ hair, girls’ hair, different styles, drawing hair for children of various races; simple method for drawing ears.
• Lesson 4 – Facial Expressions. Putting all the features together to draw faces front view and in profile; how to create natural-looking expressions (laughing, frowning, surprised) in both babies and young children.
• Lesson 5 – Hands. Drawing realistic hands; how finger length changes at different ages; drawing expressive hands (closed fist, holding an object, pointing).
• Lesson 6 – Body Size and Proportion. Drawing the whole child, infant to age 5; how proportions change each year; drawing different body types (slim, average, heavy).
• Lesson 7 – The Child in Action. Drawing babies and children in motion; using foreshortening to make a moving child look natural; drawing clothing.
• Lesson 8 – Capturing a Likeness. Tips and techniques for drawing a “portrait style” head-and-shoulders image that looks like your subject.

All lessons will be housed on a private website, with a new lesson posting every other Tuesday beginning August 8. You may keep your video access for a full year, through August 2018, and instructor feedback is always available via email.

The supply list for the course is very brief:

• 4B drawing pencil
• HB drawing pencil
• kneaded eraser
• plenty of drawing paper (copy paper is fine for this – anything that provides room for lots of drawing practice)
• a piece of Bristol vellum or good quality sketchbook paper for the final lesson

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Eight Flowers Eight Ways
10 Lessons – work at your own pace
LIMITED TIME OFFER    $50

This richly illustrated, information-packed course focuses on drawing and painting eight historic flowers (orchid, peony, saffron crocus, angel trumpet and more) using eight very different techniques. We’ll use pencil, ink and watercolor — separately and in various combinations, and in a variety of creative styles. Each lesson, posted weekly on Tuesdays, includes video and multiple printable pages. Unlimited instructor guidance and feedback are available by email. Keep video access for one full year from the start date. Registration is payable by check or PayPal. To sign up, email me directly at studio@valwebb.com.

DOWNLOAD SUPPLY LIST FOR “EIGHT FLOWERS EIGHT WAYS”

Some photos from 8 Flowers 8 Ways:

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Drawn & Decorated Watercolor Lettering
10 Lessons – work at your own pace
$65

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Create original, decorated letters using watercolor, Pigma Micron pens, pencils and a brush. Includes 10 complete projects representing a wide range of styles and historical periods. Topics include illuminated initials, Celtic knotwork, vines and flourishes, Quickhand for your own art journal, creative page design, tips for designing a unique personal alphabet, three easy steps to Deco chrome letters and much more. My first and most popular course. Registration is payable by check or PayPal. To sign up, email me directly at studio@valwebb.com.

Some photos from Drawn & Decorated Watercolor Lettering:

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The Heirloom Garden in Colored Pencil
10 Lessons – work at your own pace
LIMITED TIME OFFER   $50

Old-fashioned flowers and their pollinators, including bees and butterflies, will be the focus of a new 10-lesson online course. “The Heirloom Garden in Colored Pencil” will provide detailed, step-by-step instruction in seeing and accurately drawing a wide range of flowering plants in graphite and colored pencil. No previous art experience needed.

To sign up, email studio@valwebb.com.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD SUPPLY LIST

Some photos from Heirloom Garden in Colored Pencil:

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Birds in Watercolor and Beyond
10 Lessons – work at your own pace
SPECIAL PRICE – $50 (sign up by Aug. 31)

Explore new watercolor techniques (ranging from realistic to whimsical) each week as we paint birds from around the world. Topics include brushwork, color mixing, a dramatic ink resist, painting skies and clouds, painting foliage, painting on toned paper and more.  No experience needed. To sign up, email me directly at studio@valwebb.com.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD LIST OF LESSON TOPICS

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Some photos from Birds in Watercolor and Beyond:

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Botanical Sketchbook Painting
4 Modules – 30 Tutorials – work at your own pace
LIMITED TIME OFFER    $50

Every plant has a fascinating story waiting to be told. Roses and the legend of St. Elizabeth, irises and the survival of King Clovis to become the father of the French nation, angel trumpets and the doomed settlement of Jamestown — turn over any leaf and find a tale hidden just beneath. In my new course, Botanical Sketchbook Paintings, learn to tone and texture your own paper to create a wonderful vintage look that can range from rustic to refined. Then use a surprisingly simple four-step method for layering opaque paint and colored pencil to make botanical images that sing on the page. A lighthearted look at page design will provide ideas for arranging the elements of your botanical tale. We’ll also cover tips for distilling your written narrative down to a few bright, clear sentences and labels that communicate the heart of your story hand-in-hand with the drawn and painted page.

Here’s the supply list. If you live where some of the materials aren’t available, live outside the US, or prefer to use something you already have, I can advise on good substitutes. Supply List:

• 2B drawing pencil and kneaded eraser
• 12-tube set of Reeves gouache (costs $10.50 from www.dickblick.com)
• Large plastic watercolor palette or old white china plate for mixing paint
• Pigma Micron black waterproof ink pen, size 03 or 05
• Basic set (12 or more) Prismacolor Premiere colored pencils
• Inexpensive synthetic watercolor brushes – #1 round, #4 round, #10 round
• A sheet of heavy watercolor paper (at least 300 lb weight). Cold press. Buy a full 22×30 inch sheet if possible, and you can use it for several paintings.

To sign up, email me directly at studio@valwebb.com.

Some photos from Botanical Sketchbook Painting:

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Draw & Paint Six Culinary Herbs
10 Lessons – work at your own pace
LIMITED TIME OFFER    $50

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CLICK TO DOWNLOAD LIST OF HERBS WE WILL DRAW

Draw & Paint Six Culinary Herbs will incorporate all the things that make the humble kitchen garden a place of a thousand small delights. In addition to learning to create softly shaded pencil studies, spirited ink-and-wash sketches and richly layered color renderings that combine watercolor and colored pencil, we’ll also explore the history and folklore associated with our six herbs. Each lesson will include art demo videos, printable illustrated instruction pages and photo tutorials posted on our private class website — as well as illustrated tips on growing, harvesting and using our culinary collection.

Art topics covered in the course include:

• How to develop the habit of looking deeply at your subject, so that you clearly see and understand its structure
• Three steps to creating a quick and accurate foundation sketch
• How to draw leaves in perspective
• My “gentle pencil” technique for softly shaded pencil studies
• How to combine ink and wash for fast and elegant herb drawings
• Traditional layering of watercolor and colored pencil to build a richly detailed rendering
• Color matching and color mixing – including highlights and shadows
• The structure of an herb plant, and some basic terminology

To sign up, email me directly at studio@valwebb.com.

Photos from Draw and Paint Six Culinary Herbs:

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Draw Dogs & Cats
8 Lessons – work at your own pace
$65

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No experience necessary — the only prerequisite for this course is a love of our four-legged family members. Working in pencil for some projects, black-and-white charcoal pencil for others, develop your drawing skills by learning to create glossy fur, expressive eyes, animals in action and at rest. Topics include drawing puppies and kittens at different stages of growth, four techniques for drawing white fur, drawing realistic dog noses, drawing dog and cat caricatures and more. Very minimal supply list. To sign up, email me directly at studio@valwebb.com.

Some photos from Draw Dogs and Cats:

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Draw Owls: Designed for the Dark
4 Lessons – mini course –  work at your own pace
$45

Develop fundamental drawing skills in pencil and charcoal as you sketch some of nature’s most efficient (and beautiful) predators. Each week will feature a new technique and a new species of owl. No experience necessary — this class is specially designed for beginning and intermediate artists.

Lessons will be information-rich, each consisting of multiple videos and illustrated printable pages., and will be posted on a password-protected web page. A new lesson will post every two weeks. Instructor guidance and feedback is available as often as you like, through email.

Supplies for this course:

• 4B drawing pencil, any brand
• Soft kneaded eraser
• Supply of inexpensive sketch paper for practice
• Black charcoal pencil
• White charcoal pencil
• 2 sheets of toned charcoal paper (gray or buff)

To register, email studio@valwebb.com

Photos from Draw Owls: Designed for the Dark:

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Draw Horses & Ponies
10 Lessons – work at your own pace
$65

I grew up with horses and have always loved drawing them, so I’m very excited about this: Registration is now open for Draw Horses and Ponies. Use pencil, pen, ink and brush to draw horses of all breeds (from tiny Falabella miniatures to enormous draft horses) and life stages from birth to old age. Includes how to draw each gait, as well as jumping, shying and rolling. Draw horses under saddle and in harness. There is a lesson on drawing riders (both Western and English) and one on donkeys and mules. Explore realistic pencil renderings and playful, impressionistic brush drawing. No experience necessary!

The course includes 10 instructional videos, and 30 illustrated pdf pages for you to print and keep. I’ll provide one-on-one guidance and feedback at each step of the journey.

The cost of the course is $65. For information on how to sign up, send me an email at

studio@valwebb.com

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Draw and Paint Fairies in Nature
10 Lessons – work at your own pace
$65

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD SUPPLY LIST

I love drawing fairies. They allow me to combine all my favorite art subjects (children, botanicals, birds, insects, small furry animals) in various whimsical combinations to create a gentle world where you can fish from the top of a Great Blue Heron or hitch a ride on a passing opossum.

Draw and Paint Fairies in Nature is the most ambitious course I’ve ever created, and in addition to 10 interactive lessons there will be 24 illustrated pdf pages that can be assembled to make a handbook of my fairy drawing techniques.

Learn about fairy proportion from infant to adolescent, how to show physical and facial expressions, how to draw assorted wings and attire, how to create a background, how to draw fairies in action (and in flight) or at rest. Draw and paint the fairies’ neighbors, birds and mice. Discover techniques for using color to create a rich natural atmosphere.

While this course is open to students at all levels of art experience, you will enjoy it much more if you already have a few basic drawing skills. If you are just starting out, I encourage you to sign up for one of my other drawing courses first … and then take Draw & Paint Fairies in Nature.

To sign up, email me at studio@valwebb.com.

Some photos from Draw and Paint Fairies in Nature:

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Fairies II: Draw & Paint the Enchanted World
10 Lessons – work at your own pace
$65

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This magical course continues where my Fairies I course left off: We will draw and paint enchanted landscapes, interiors, moonlight, candlelight — and the neighboring inhabitants of the fairy realm, including goblins and trolls, dragons and unicorns, tree spirits, moonlight and candlelight, the Woodwife and more. To register, email studio@valwebb.com.

NOTE: THIS COURSE IS DESIGNED TO FOLLOW THE FAIRIES I COURSE, AND CONTAINS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT MATERIAL.

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